The Game of Life
by FizzingWhizbeez
Summary: [ON HIATUS] As a nasty prank, the Slytherin Quidditch team sends the Gryffindor team into the latest popular Wizarding board game. But when the scheme begins spinning out of control, the Gryffindors become involved in what will be a fight for their lives.
1. A Distinctly Slytherin Scheme

Hello everyone! I decided to start this story on a whim of mine… it's based loosely on the idea of an enchanted board game in _Jumanji_, but has its own decisive twist. At the moment, this is only a mini plot bunny, and I'm not sure if I'm even going to keep this story. But hopefully with enough responses from you all, and some creative ideas of my own, I will end up continuing with it. In the meantime…enjoy!

Legal Disclaimer: Although the story has nothing to do with the original board game _The Game of Life, _credit goes to the Hasbro Interactive company for the name.

**Chapter 1 **

They sat around the round, central table in the common room, grimly playing what had become the latest fad in the Wizarding World, a magic board game called _The Game of Life_. The game was supposed to be exciting, thrilling, exhilarating… but the mood that it normally called for was absent among the Slytherin Quidditch team, for their minds were preoccupied with the day's earlier events. _Again_, they had suffered a humiliating defeat from the Gryffindors….

xxx

_"There they go…the Seekers are in a fight to the death for the Snitch! Oopsadaisy, Potter watch out there! And Potter's closing in, with Malfoy right behind him…Come on, Harry…" A pregnant silence…everyone was holding his or her breath… "AND GRYFFINDOR WINS!" A roar of applause erupted from the side of the stadium where crimson and gold flags were flying. _

_"Take that, you dirty, rotten, cheating scum! That teaches you to mess with Gryff— ow! Say, Professor, that was uncalled for!" _

_"**Unbiased **commentaries, __Jordan__! Do you hear me? UNBIASED!" _

_"Sure, Professor. Aww look at the ickle Slytherins…go home and cry to your mummies, now… off you go!" _

_"__JORDAN__!" _

_The Slytherin team dismounted their brooms amidst the deafening cheers for the Gryffindors, who were soaring above the crowd pumping fists into the air, shouting joyously back to their adoring fans. And so __Flint__, Bole, Derrick, Bletchley, Montague, __Warrington__, and Malfoy left the field, shoulders slumped, heads low, and pride crushed… _

xxx

"I want to KILL someone!" Flint suddenly shouted, giving the board a rough push so that it, along with its many game pieces, flew onto the floor.

"My words exactly," said an angry Montague, who had his arms crossed sullenly.

"What we need is revenge," announced Bole, "a sweet act of _revenge_."

"Bloody wonderful," said Flint dryly. "Have any of your..._brilliant _ideas?

"Have Snape schedule us for the field every day of the week," said Derrick, scratching his head. "Then the Gryffindors can't practice."

"Absolutely. Bloody. Brilliant." Flint rolled his eyes.

"Make them sick to their stomachs with food poisoning," suggested Bletchley, the Keeper.

"Not a bad idea," voiced Warrington, "No one will be able to prove it was us."

Flint chewed on the thought. "Perhaps... but I want something more... dramatic. Something more... _cruel." _He grinned wolfishly.

"I have a thought."

Six heads turned to look at the smallest member of the team, a boy who had remained silent until then, a boy who had a pale complexion and a cold, calculating look in his piercing grey eyes.

"Tell us." Flint's voice was soft, coaxing. There was a malicious glint in his eyes; he knew that whatever came out of the Seeker's mouth next would be good.

_Very_ good.

A cold half-smile appeared on Malfoy's face. He leaned closer to the others, elbows propped on the table surface. "Here's how it goes..."

The overturned gameboard lay forgotten on the floor, as if innocently unaware of the critical role it would come to play in the lives of seven Gryffindors...

xxx

"Ow, Fred, you prat! That _hurts!_"

The female Gryffindor team members met the male ones on their way out of their separate changing rooms. They stared at Oliver, who had just shouted, and at Fred, who had quickly tossed his chosen weapon at George in an effort to appear innocent.

"What hurts?" Katie asked Oliver, who had a pained expression on his face.

"He whipped me on the arse with his towel," Oliver grumbled, much to the amusement of the girls. Fred was looking very pleased with himself.

"Shall we head up to the dorms together?" he asked, gallantly extending his arm to Angelina, who smiled and took it. The entire team proceeded into the corridor, chatting and laughing. They paid no notice to the shadows in the hallway, which had darkened considerably by the time the Gryffindors' practice (which had lasted past sunset), was over.

They had just reached the end of the corridor when several dark figures appeared, blocking their way.

"Hey, what gives?" George protested, but that was all he could say before the menacing figures lifted their wands.

_"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"_

Seven voices echoed through the corridor. Seven bursts of light shot from the tips of the upraised wands toward the surprised Gryffindors. Seven gasps were emitted as each Gryffindor was struck in the chest, no longer able to move.

_"Lumos." _

Harry had no trouble identifing the voice... The wand's thin light eerily illuminated the face of Draco Malfoy. "Hello, Potter," he said smoothly, half-smiling.

A succession of _Lumos_ spells followed, and the entire group's faces became visible. The Gryffindors could only stare in shock, helpless, as the realization sank in... They were under the complete power of the Slytherin Quiddich Team.


	2. And So the Game Begins

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Just to clear things up -- this story doesn't really correlate with any of the books, and as for the characters' ages, I don't really think it matters. If anyone was wondering where I got the names of the ambiguous Slytherin characters (Bole and Derrick, for example), I looked up the Slytherin Quidditch Team on the HP Lexicon and chose the players who were around during Oliver's years at Hogwarts (since he is the oldest).

Oh, and Happy (Almost) New Year to all!

**Chapter 2**

"REDUCIO!"

All seven Gryffindors shrank in size dramatically. Oliver, who was the tallest, was only the size of a human palm. A giant Slytherin hand reached down, scooped them up, and dropped them into a box. The lid followed soon after, and they were left in complete darkness. They could still hear voices, however, as the Slytherins spoke in harsh whispers. The box began jolting violently as the Slytherins began to run, and the sound of feet pounding against the floor seemed deafening to the Gryffindors.

Suddenly, the biggest jolt of all left the box shuddering to a sudden stop, as if the one who held it had frozen in his tracks.

"Er... Professor Snape!"

"_What_, may I ask, would cause the entire Slytherin Quidditch team to storm through the halls while others are in their dorms?"

"We just--"

"And _what_, pray tell, is in that box?" Before anyone could answer, the box shook violently again, as if Snape had snatched it. The lid opened; candlelight from the sconces in the walls flooded into the previously pitch-black interior. "Well isn't this interesting..." Harry would have cursed if he could; Snape had picked him up (rather roughly, too) and was inspecting him closely, a strange gleam in his eyes.

"We were uh... going to do voodoo, sir," said Bole uncertainly. "We read about it and wanted to try it for ourselves."

"Voodoo?" Snape's eyes shifted to Bole, before turning back to Harry's miniature form. He smirked, then dropped Harry back into the box. "I won't bother asking where you got such realistic models. But I daresay the results of your experiment will be rather... interesting. Good night."

As he heard Snape's footsteps fading away, Harry seethed inwardly, burning with anger. He'd seen that gleam in Snape's eyes. He'd seen that Snape knew he was holding the _real_ Harry Potter in his fist. But Snape hadn't done anything at all...

"_Voodoo_." Flint's voice was scornful.

"It was better than nothing, wasn't it?" Bole snarled.

"_Evanesco,_" said Malfoy, interrupting them in order to give the password to the Slytherin common room. As they followed him inside, he said, "I have everything set up in my room."

Shortly after, the lid lifted, and seven Slytherins peered eagerly into the box. Flint released the full-body bind, knowing the prisoners couldn't go anywhere because of the box's high walls. As soon as he did, the Gryffindors shouted up at him.

"What's going on, and why are you doing this?" Oliver shouted.

"You bloody wankers, I'll kill you!" Fred growled, growing purple in the face. "Just you wait until I'm normal again..."

The Slytherins barked with laughter. "You're not going anywhere for a while, little one," smirked Flint. "We've an experiment to do."

"What? Voodoo?" Katie spat contemptuously. "That's the most pathetic lie I've ever heard, and I've heard many from the lot of you."

An angry Bole reached down and flicked her on the cheek, sending her tumbling. Katie sat up slowly, putting a hand to the side of her face, which had become bright red.

"You'll be sorry for that!" Oliver, enraged, grabbed his wand and shot a hex at Bole. Miniature slashes appeared on his face; it seemed the effect of the spell had shrunk, just as Oliver had.

"Ow!" Bole whined. "Make him stop!"

Flint pointed his wand at Oliver. "He may have deserved it, but I wouldn't do that again if I were you." There was a long pause, which was interrupted by the sound of a foot tapping.

It was Malfoy, who had his arms crossed impatiently. "Can we just _start _already?" he snapped.

A chorus of cheers and whoops from the Slytherins ensued, and the box was upended, sending the Gryffindors tumbling onto a table. Before them stood _The Game of Life _in all its glory.

"What _is_ this?" Alicia gasped.

"Our 'experiment'," said Malfoy with a satisfied smirk. "We're putting you in this game."

"This is impossible! You're insane!" shrieked Angelina, who looked about to have a seizure.

"It _is _possible. But yes, perhaps we are a tad bit insane." Flint grinned.

"Shall we assign them?" Derrick asked.

"We're being assigned?" Angelina asked, bewildered.

"Yes, you're acting as our gamepieces," Malfoy explained in a bored tone.

"I call Wood, naturally," said Flint immediately, eagerly anticipating his long-awaited revenge upon one of his most hated rivals.

"I call Katie," Montague said quickly, much to Katie's horror. It was well-known that he had fancied her for ages.

Beaters Derrick and Bole, who had long had a grudge against Fred and George, chose the twins, while Bletchley and Warrington took Angelina and Alicia.

"So the only one left is..."

Malfoy stepped forward with a half-smile on his lips. "Potter. I'd be delighted to have him." The two enemies stared hatefully at each other, though no one could miss the comical effect of Harry's tiny stature.

Flint smiled. "Now, we have all chosen our players, who will represent us on the gameboard... As everyone should know by now, before the game starts, each player is given a randomly-chosen weapon, which he or she can use during the game. Shall we pick?" He shuffled a deck of cards and spread them out in a fan, presenting them face-down to his teammates.

Bletchley chose first. "You got the multi-purpose glove," he said, presenting the card to Angelina. "When you get it, you can pull out the claws, or use the sticky pads, or--"

"Yes, yes," she said, waving his hand away impatiently. "I'll figure it out myself."

Derrick chose next, and let out a bark of laughter at what he saw. "A bubble wand and a bottle of soap to go with it," he said to George, who grimaced.

"I've never seen a bloody bubble wand when I played before," George grumbled. "How can it help me, anyway?"

Warrington, who had Alicia, picked the cooking pan and spatula card.

"Are you _kidding?_" Alicia shrieked. "I thought we were supposed to get _weapons, _not _bubble wands _and _cooking pans!_"

Malfoy smirked. "The deck includes lots of other things that you wouldn't consider to be a weapon," he said smugly. "It's up to you to decide how to use them as one."

"I hate you," Alicia muttered resentfully.

Fred, on the other hand, was rather delighted to see the card Bole had chosen for him, which depicted a flame-thrower. "Ahh, a _real _weapon for once!" he said, satisfied, and earned a kick from the still-upset Alicia.

"You're just jealous 'cause you've got a girly cooking pan," Fred said, sticking his tongue out at her.

Katie looked rather bewildered to be presented with the card for a bow and a quiver of arrows by Montague. "How am I supposed to use this?" she whispered to Oliver, who could only shrug helplessly.

"Bloody hell." Malfoy seemed rather disappointed to see that he'd chosen a coil of rope, with a hook attached to the end, for Harry. "I was hoping for something more dramatic."

"My cousin got a hot pink bra once," Derrick grinned. "He complained about it the whole time but he ended up using it as a slingshot and funnily enough, he won the game later on."

Flint took a card for Oliver and smiled broadly at what he saw.

"Let me guess, a hot pink bra?" Oliver commented dryly.

"No, a rubber ducky!" The Slytherins roared with laughter, while Alicia muttered, "Wanna trade for a cooking pan?"

"Let us begin!" Flint crowed, and his teammates cheered. "First, I'll shrink them a bit more, as they're still too big for the board..." He muttered an incantation and one by one, the Gryffindors shrunk to half their former size. "Now, place your 'gamepieces' on the board."

"Ow, she bit me!" Montague cried, dropping Katie, who smiled smugly. Her smile disappeared when he wrapped a handkerchief around her and lifted her toward the gameboard in that fashion.

"Where should we put them?" Bletchley asked. "There's a starting place on each of the four sides, but there are seven players."

"Put two on each side," Malfoy commanded.

"One person will have to be alone."

"Precisely." Malfoy sneered. "Potter can start off by himself."

"But the board is so big, and he'll be alone--"

"_Precisely_."

"I like the way you think, Malfoy," Flint said approvingly. "Okay, put one Weasley and Johnson to the north, the other Weasley and Spinnet to the south, Potter to the west, and Wood and Bell to the east."

Oliver was placed beside Katie. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"No!" Montague protested at once. "Don't put _them _together."

"All right, O jealous one," Flint said dryly. "Put Wood with Johnson to the north, Bell and Spinnet to the east... and oh, what the heck, put the twins together to the south. Oh, and Potter to the west. Everyone happy now?"

"_We're _not," Angelina said angrily. "Let us go. Why are you doing this to us?"

"Because it's fun, and we Slytherins like to have fun." Flint smiled. "And no more questions, Johnson, you're being very annoying." Then to all, he said, "Shall we begin?"

"Wait!" Katie cried from the east side of the board, where she stood beside Alicia. "I've never played this before, and I don't know the rules."

"Good point. The goal is to get to the middle, where there'll be a castle. At the topmost tower, you'll see a golden stone sitting on a table, and whoever touches that first, wins. Obviously, there will be plenty of obstacles along the way. We've tweaked it a bit, however. In the original game, the player himself has to work out the conflicts, such as battling a fire demon, using various combinations of cards, and mindpower. But we've done away with that. _You_, as gamepieces, will have to work out the conflicts yourselves, while we sit back and watch as you entertain us.

"We have to fight fire demons?" Alicia whispered fearfully. "By ourselves?"

Flint, ignoring her, said, "Now, let us _finally _start this gam--"

"Wait!" Katie cried. "Will we be able to communicate? For example, is there a way Alicia and I can contact Harry somehow?"

"No," Malfoy answered briskly. "You're on your own."

"Can we actually get hurt?" Angelina asked."Or maybe even... die?"

"We don't know. That's why it's called an _experiment_, see?"

"You're crazy! You're bonkers, the lot of you!" George yelled. "You'll get in _so_ much trouble for this, I--"

"It'll only last for a day or so, relax," drawled Malfoy.

"All right, that's enough," said Flint. "Those are all the rules and technical stuff, okay? Now let's _start _alread--"

"No!" Katie cried, one last time. "I've seen people play this and I know it's a lot more complicated than that! There are more rules and tricks and complications involved, and you're not taking the time to explain them all--"

"That's your problem, isn't it?" Malfoy said coldly. "You'll figure it out as you go... hopefully."

"Yes, yes," said Flint impatiently. "We're starting now whether you want to or not." He pressed a button and the words _The Game of Life_ along the edge of the board lit up, shining an eerie blue light upon the so-called "gamepieces." In the corner, the box marked "Length of Game Time," lit up as well, and the numbers 00:00:00 became 00:00:01, then 00:00:02, and so on as the timer began ticking. As soon as the Gryffindors were pushed onto the board, they found that they couldn't escape, as if invisible bonds had trapped them.

And so the game began.


	3. This is Only the Beginning

Thanks to my lovely reviewers! Unfortunately I may not be able to update for a long while after this... I have those dreaded SATs coming up in late January, and thus my parents are nagging at me again. Ugh. Maybe I'll be able to write another chapter with lightning speed and update before anyone catches me! Anyway, about this chapter - unfortunately, I'm not too happy with it, so I'm sorry. The next one will be better, I promise!

And I don't own Harry Potter. Sheesh.

**Chapter 3**

"I will _kill_ them! Do you hear me? KILL them! I'll rip them to shreds and roast them over that huge fireplace in the kitchen and feed them to the giant squid, I _will, _mark my words! _Do you hear me, you thick-headed, obnoxious gits?_"

Oliver stared as Angelina shook her fist up at the Slytherins. "Warrington has an impressive growth of nosehair," he commented.

He was awarded with a most icy glare. "Oliver, _please_. This is no time to be funny."

"_They _seem to think something's funny." Oliver pointed up at the guffawing Slytherins. "Hmm, that's weird, we can't hear what they're saying."

"Who wants to hear what they're saying anyway? _I _certainly don't... Gosh, Oliver, I wonder what they're going to do to us..."

"Well whatever it is, we're going to make it out alive," he said firmly.

Suddenly they looked up, startled, as two objects floated down toward them. One approached Angelina, who, after catching it, saw it was the multi-purpose glove. The other object fell into Oliver's hands.

"What was I saying? That we'd make it out of here alive?" Oliver groaned, squeezing the rubber duck angrily. It let out a tiny squeak and changed color.

"Oh look, it's become pink!"

"How _adorable_." Oliver's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Well this is bloody brilliant. I can only depend on a color-changing rubber duck to save my life."

"Oliver, please, let's be a bit more optimistic--"

"I'M ARMED WITH A BLOODY _BATHTUB TOY!_"

* * *

"Let's roll to see who goes first." 

After several rolls of the die, it was determined that Flint would go first, Bole second, then Montague, Draco, Bletchley, Derrick, and Warrington.

"I'm first!" Flint said gleefully, picking up the die.

"You know, it's a pity we can't hear what they're saying," Draco drawled. "It would be amusing to hear whatever Oliver's saying, screaming at Angelina like that. Or what Fred is yelling while he's jumping on top of that giant mushroom."

"They must be in a different dimension or something..." Flint said thoughtfully. "We didn't expect that, did we?... Oh well, no worries. I'm going." He rolled the die onto the table...

...where it landed on the **3.**

* * *

"Don't raise your voice at me!" Angelina flared up. 

"Watch out, Johnson," Oliver said sarcastically, brandishing his rubber duck. "Or I just might hurt you with my pink rubber duck."

"Stop being such prat--"

"Careful, or I'm going to turn Mr. Squirt loose on you!"

"It's _not funny_, Wood!" Angelina shrieked.

Oliver laughed bitterly. But when he saw the hurt look on her face, he stepped forward , a look of chagrin on his face. "Look, I'm sorry Angelina. I lost it... The Slytherins hurt my pride, and I just blew up at you, and I shouldn't have-- BLOODY HELL!"

A look of shock appeared on his face. He was bouncing -- _bouncing!_ -- three spaces forward. "There goes the last of my pride," he muttered when he had skidded to a stop.

"Oliver!" Angelina shrieked from three spaces behind. "Are you okay?"

"Flint must've rolled a three for me," Oliver called back. "Don't worry."

"You should've seen the way you bounced!"

Normally, Oliver would've glared at her, but now, his eyes were fixed on the square he was standing on. Words became illuminated beneath him.

**_You have collected a powerful elixir. Fifteen points have been added to your health._**

* * *

"Aw, that's boring," Flint grumbled as he watched a miniature red bottle floating down to a miniature Oliver Wood. "I was hoping for something more dramatic." 

"But he has full health already," said Derrick. "So he gets a hundred fifteen health points in total?"

"I suppose," answered Flint.

"What happens when one of them loses all their health points?" asked Warrington.

They looked at one another blankly. No one had an answer for him.

* * *

"Should I drink it?" 

"You said it was an elixir, didn't you? Go ahead."

Oliver uncorked the little bottle and swallowed its contents in one gulp. "Blimey, that's strong," he choked.

"Look!" Angelina cried. "There's a little red bar over your head."

Oliver waved his hand above his head. "I don't feel anything."

"Well it's a floating red bar with the number '115' written above it. Hey, it must be your health points!"

"Angelina, a bar appeared over your head just now."

"Funny, I don't feel mine either..." She tilted up her head. "Oh, I can see it now..."

Oliver looked up at his own. "Hey, mine's fading!"

"I wonder how I got mine to appear..." said Angelina, looking thoughtful. "Say the word 'health,' Oliver."

"Health."

"It's back! I guess whenever you say 'health,' you can see how much you've got left."

"Well that's good to know... Hey, you haven't moved yet."

"I guess it's someone else's turn... I wonder who's going now?"

* * *

"It's my turn." Bole picked up the die and rolled... 

...**4**

* * *

"Bro, you're jumping on top of a mushroom." 

"That I am, George. It's got wonderful boingy-ness."

"Boingy-ness?"

"Yeah, like _boing, boing!_" Fred bounced up and down.

"Have you let out all your anger? You were yelling curses at the Slytherins for ages, and now you're not."

"I'm out of curses, unfortunately. Wonder how everyone else is doing?"

"We should look for them. Maybe explore a little along the way."

"Sounds like a plan!" Fred said cheerfully. He stopped bouncing, only to catch sight of their "weapons" floating down toward them. "Cool, my flame-thrower!" He leaped off the mushroom just in time to catch it.

"Lucky." George looked down at his bubble wand and soap forlornly.

"I'm sorry, mate... How 'bout I let you have a go at this after I give it try? Hmmm, how do you work this thing? Maybe you have to-- WHOA!"

Fred looked mildly shocked; it seemed as if an invisible hand had grabbed him and dragged him forward four spaces. The square beneath him lit up; it read:

**_You think you can handle any challenge... but can you face one with eight legs?_**

* * *

"Finally, something interesting!" Flint cried. 

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Bole said nervously. "The monster is twenty times his size!"

"Well it's too late to save him now," Draco replied coolly.


	4. Something with Eight Legs

Just one thing before I start - though it's listed as KBOW, this story won't be entirely fixated on Katie and Oliver, so all you non-KBOW shippers out there will be able to enjoy it too. There will be some Angelina/Fred going on as well, which brings me to the point I was heading for: include Alicia/George in the story too, or don't? It's all up to you!

Oh, and credit goes to Star of the North for the different dimensions idea and the lovely peek up Warrington's nose in the last chapter. -grins- What would I do without you?

**Chapter 4**

"Good thing ickle Ronniekins isn't here, eh?" Fred called over his shoulder to George, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Why, what does the square say?"

"Something about eight legs...obviously a spider."

"What plans do you have?" George said, looking concerned.

"A blast of spider poison from my wand, of course!"

"You don't know any spider poison spells. Come to think of it, there_ are_ no spider poison spells. Spider poison _potions,_ perhaps, but not _spells._"

"Worry not, George!" Fred said merrily. "We shall see just how scary this spider can be."

_THUMP. THUMP. Grrrrumble. THUMP. _The ground trembled, and the ominous sound of breaking twigs and branches grew closer.

"Apparently this spider is very big," Fred commented, cocking his head to the side. He turned around to face his brother and grinned. "It is a _really _good thing our littlest bro isn't here, eh?"

George had no chance to respond. His eyes, fixated on a point behind Fred's shoulder, had grown as round as the enormous platters their mum used only at family reunions. At last, he spoke in a low, cautious, you-might-not-want-to-turn-around-just-now voice.

"That's no spider, Fred."

* * *

"Alicia, stop, you're making me depressed just watching you."

Katie spoke irritably to her friend, who was busy venting her anger on the wildlife around them. Alicia, after discovering that they were confined to their START square (until it was their turn to move, that is), had started bashing the trees closest to their square with her frying pan, with a wild ferocity that would have made any cook skilled in cooking-utensil-combat proud.

"You'll end up breaking your pan, and then you'll have _nothing _left."

"I -- don't -- care." Alicia emphasized each word with a swing of her pan.

"If it makes you happy, would you like to switch? I can't see me using these at all." Katie looked ruefully at her bow and arrows. "In any case, I like to cook and maybe my culinary skills will save us all sometime." She spoke sarcastically, but Alicia brightened considerably.

"Really? Katie, you're a doll." She eagerly handed her frying pan to Katie. It never made it to Katie's hand. Every time they attempted to switch weapons, an invisible force seemed to block their efforts.

"I think we're meant to hold on to what was chosen for us," Katie said, staring at her bow with new-found curiosity.

"Oh, fiddlesticks!" Alicia let out a disgruntled cry and slumped onto the grass.

"It's all right, Alicia, I'm sure the frying pan will help you when you least expect it," Katie said kindly, now feeling sorry for her friend.

"It's not about the pan, Katie!" Alicia cried, tugging at her hair. "It's just..._this!" _She motioned toward their surroundings with a sweep of her hand. "I don't want to be here!"

"None of us do," Katie said soothingly, sitting beside her despondent friend and putting an arm around her. "But we'll make it out of here."

"We _better,_" Alicia said fiercely. Then, as if her tirade had exhausted her, she leaned wearily against Katie. With a little sigh, she said, "I suppose we might as well cover _some _ground while we're here, right? I've been meaning to ask you this for some time..what do you think about Oliver?"

Katie stiffened. "Oliver?"

"Yes. Oliver."

"Oliver."

"Yes, _Oliver. _As in Oliver in seventh year. As in Oliver, our insane Quidditch Captain. As in Oliver, the Wood."

"Oh shut up, I _get it_," Katie snapped. "I don't feel anything toward him."

"Katie darling, you've crushed on him since second year."

"That was then, this is now."

"Things haven't changed. Well, they _have..._ in one aspect. I suspect he fancies you."

"LOOK, a rescue plane!" Katie lied, pointing skyward.

"Oooh oohh WHERE?"

* * *

Out of the trees stepped what could only be described as a mutant two-headed amphibian. An enormous, green blob covered in bumpy, uneven warts, the monster could only be explained by saying two frogs had been mushed together in a blender, with some uber-powerful growth hormone thrown in. With two heads, four eyes, and, as promised, _eight legs_, the monster could be considered by some people to be even more terrifying than an acromantula.

Apparently, not to Fred. "Wow, look at this idiot toad!" he crowed, laughing delightedly. "_This _is a challenge? C'mon, Superfrog, show me what you've got!"

In response, the monster led out an enormous roar that shook the area, including the twins. Fred gulped. Perhaps his foe was more formidable then it looked. But then again, just because it could let out a loud burp didn't mean it could hurt him, right?

Oops. Wrong again. The monster lunged at him, its powerful hind legs pushing off the ground, and Fred barely had time to dodge it.

"_Stupefy!"_ he shouted. The spell blasted from his wand, but only seemed to be absorbed by the frog's thick skin. He tried again. "_Relashio!"_

The spray of sparks, though small compared to the frog's gigantic body, was still enough to burn a small spot on its back. The monster roared again, and suddenly, a stream of red liquid spurted from its eyes.

"Bloody hell!" Fred screamed, and dropped to the ground, missing the liquid by mere inches. He turned around to see where it landed - in a clump of flowers. Once hit by the spray, the flowers blackened and died. The acrid smell of something burning reached Fred's nostrils.

_"Fred!" _George screamed. He looked about to faint. For the frog, taking advantage of Fred's shock, was looming threateningly over him.

"Mother!" Fred squeaked, and tried to escape. But alas! Like a flash of lightning, the monster's tongue darted out of its mouth, and soon the sticky tongue was wrapping around Fred, who shouted bloody murder. The frog reeled him in...closer...closer

"DO SOMETHING, GEORGE!" Fred yelled, but George could not obey. He tried to move, but seemed to be frozen. Apparently, the game was making him stick to the rule - every man must fend for himself.

The frog's mouth was looming ever nearer, and desperately, Fred whipped out his wand. "That was _not _meant in the sexual sense, fanfiction readers!" he said before shouting, _"Impedimenta!"_

The spell shot into the monster's mouth. There was an enormous roar, even louder than before, and the creature dropped Fred to the ground, bellowing in pain. It seemed as if a great wave of force had driven straight down its throat, and for a moment the frog had trouble breathing.

Fred lay on the ground, panting. _That was a close call_, he thought grimly. _Too close_. Standing quickly, he aimed more Stunning spells at the beast, but still they had no effect. _What do I do next?_ he thought desperately, running out of ideas. _C'mon Fred, use that brain of yours!_

"The flame thrower!" George screamed.

_Well, if my brain isn't working, at least George's is. _Fred whipped his head around. There, many feet away, lay the weapon that he had dropped earlier. The question was...could he reach it in time?

If he did, he should consider himself extraordinarily lucky. For the frog, now recovered, returned to attack its prey, angrier than ever. It stood in the way to the flame thrower, and as if anticipating Fred's next move, it let out a a low growl from the depths of its throat.

"Look, there's a princess to kiss you and turn you into a prince!" Fred shouted, pointing to the side before racing toward the weapon. The frog, only momentarily distracted, lunged toward him...

It seemed Fred was doomed.

* * *

"_Merlin, _he's going to _die!_" Bole screamed, watching the action from above. He was biting his nails frantically.

Flint whirled on him. "Are you a true Slytherin or _not?"_ he snarled viciously. "_Never_ let me catch you acting in such an embarrassing manner again!"

Bole pouted, his lower lip sticking out. Whether Fred Weasley was going to die or not, Bole could only think of one thing -- _he had just been accused of not being Slytherin material_. Oh, the humiliation!

Draco smirked.

* * *

"Gotcha!" Fred cried, falling upon his weapon and clutching it anxiously. The monster was about pounce on him any second now, he knew. Fred looked down at the flame thrower. There were markings on it, but there was no time to contemplate what each one meant. Without even thinking, without having used it ever before, he pushed a random lever all the way to the top and fired, just as the monster attacked.

It seemed Fred had chosen the intensity lever and put it to its maximum level. For an _enormous_ wave of red-hot flames engorged the monster in mid-air. Its eyes widened with shock as it fell to the ground, and Fred managed to roll away just in time. The monster let out one last bellow, and then a soft, pained moan...

Then, only silence could be heard for what seemed like eons. Slowly, Fred raised his eyes to look into those of his brother, and their gazes met over what could only be described as an immense mound of roasted frog meat.

**_

* * *

_**

"He's still alive," whispered Derrick in wonder. "He's _alive._"

"I can't believe he managed to kill it," said Warrington in awe.

"Oh, it's not _that _big of a deal," Flint snapped, annoyed, because secretly he was wondering if he could have acted as bravely as Fred had.

"Well, shall we move on?" Draco said briskly, as if a near-death occurrence for a fellow student was an everyday experience. "Who's next?"

"I am," Montague said, still dazed from watching Fred's battle. Then, as if realizing what he'd just said, he repeated, "_I _am." He looked up in surprise. "Katie goes next."

"Well _obviously_, you doofus!" Flint drawled. "You picked her, didn't you? You jealously had her separated from Oliver, didn't you? _You bloody fancy the filthy Gryffindor and her mixed blood, don't you?"_

Montague reddened. "You don't have to be so nasty," he said darkly.

_"You don't have to be so nasty,"_ Flint mimicked. "Now hurry up and roll the die, would you?" He smirked. "Wouldn't it be funny if something deliciously, dramatically dangerous happened to your Katie?"

Montague, shaking with anger, picked up the die and rolled it wordlessly...

**...6**

**_

* * *

_**

"I can't believe you lied to me about the rescue plane."

"Would you like a formal apology written out on parchment? Unfortunately I have none, so you'll have to make do with words written in the sand with this stick."

"I hate you, Katie Bell."

"I feel the love."

"You only mentioned the plane so you could change the subject from a certain Quidditch captain."

"Do you see me denying it?"

"No, not about you changing the subject, but _yes_, about Oliver Wood."

"Please don't give me the old 'Denial isn't only a river in Egypt' line."

"_Denial isn't only a river in Egypt. _Plus, I'm trying to do you a favor."

"Alicia, you go around electing yourself Official Matchmaker of Hogwarts all the time and half the time the relationships don't even work out."

"And what about the _other _half, hmm?"

"Alicia, give it up. Please? Roger Davies fancies me and I'm already half in like with him... So you see, I've given up on Oliver Wood once and for all."

"Ugh, you get SO dramatic sometimes..."

"Says Miss Teen Drama Queen herself."

"_Excuse me?"_

"You heard me. Everyone calls you that."

"Oh is that _so_? Well _I'll _have you know, Katie Bell, that _you_ are-- KATIE!"

As if an invisible hand had grabbed Katie, the girl was flung down the path, where she was dumped rather unceremoniously six spaces away.

"Oh Katie, I didn't mean it, I didn't even say it anyhow, but you just flew away from me like that--" Alicia cried, in hysterics. "Can you hear me? Huh? Katie, can you hear me? Bloody hell this stupid _game_, I'm trying to get to you but it's like something's holding me back. Katie? _Katie! _Oh dear God, Katie, are you alive? Merlin, now you're dead and I'm all alone and I think I'll just faint from fear and I'll never make it out of here, and see my mum again, or have her yummy apple pie..." She paused, then, _"KATIE!"_

Katie let out a little moan from where she'd fallen. She raised her head. "I _told _you you were a drama queen," she muttered.

"Oh, you're all right!" Alicia gasped, holding the back of her hand to her forehead as if she was about to faint. Then, only a moment later, she stopped, looking thoughtful. "Hmm, perhaps I _am _a bit dramatic."

Katie would have rolled her eyes if the square underneath her hadn't lit up just then. Startled, she jumped to her feet, and her eyes grew round as she read:

**_Beware, for things are not what they seem..._**

* * *

A/N: You all thought Fred would be facing be a spider, didn't you? (grins) Now if I was _that _predictable, I'd be no fun, would I? ;)

Sorry for the short chapter again, but I was just _itching _to get this updated, I'm that excited. I also want to get started on new chapters for my other stories. When you're suddenly stress-free, there are just so many things you want to do! (grins again, then flounces off to eat sweet sugar-coated munchies and start a new chapter)

_UPDATE AS OF 5/8/06_ --The scenes between Katie and Alicia have been _completely _revised. To those who read this before today, you'll remember that Katie still held a grudge against Oliver for something he did in her second year. However, it seemed so petty and cliche, I had to kill it. Sorry for the confusion!


	5. Deadly Deception

I apologize a thousandfold for taking a lifetime to update! In the meantime, I've made changes to the previous chapter. Remember when Katie was telling Alicia that she would never forgive Oliver for something that had happened in her second year? Well I've done away with that plot bunny because I realized it was going nowhere and would turn out horribly cliched anyhow, so instead, she reveals that Roger Davies fancies her and she thinks she might be fancing him back. If you'd like to, please go back to Chapter 4 and read the revised version. Thank you all, and sorry about the change!

**Chapter 5**

Harry sat atop a sand dune, watching the golden sand disappear through his fingers as it sifted through his hands. With a sigh, he looked the expanse of the beautiful blue ocean before him, then turned to see the enormous cliff that stood to his back. In a sense, he was trapped; either he could make the attempt to climb that enormous giant of a cliff (which would end in guaranteed death, for sure), or swim into the ocean toward a destination he wasn't even sure existed (which would also probably end in death, yippee).

Needless to say, it was a difficult choice.

* * *

A child appeared in the path, a beautiful dark-haired, fair-skinned girl with captivating violet eyes. She was dressed in silks and satins of the most lovely shade of lilac. 

"Oh, isn't she precious?" Katie breathed, wanted to touch the child.

"Bloody hell!" Alicia shrieked behind her, stifling a cry.

Katie laughed softly, still entranced by the little girl. "I know you don't like children, Alicia, but how can you not be in love with this one?" She leaned down to be on eye-level with the child. "Hello, precious, what's your name?"

"I don't have one," whispered the fairy-like child solemnly. Her eyes spoke of an indescribable sadness.

"Get away from it, Katie!" Alicia screamed. "Get _away _from it!"

Her friend's cries seemed to fade into nothingness, because Katie could not take her eyes away from the child. "Why do you look so sad?" she said tenderly, wanting to touch the teardrop that slid down the girl's cheek.

"I can't tell," the child whimpered.

"You can tell me," Katie said soothingly.

"No, I can't tell. But I can show you."

"Then show me."

The fairy child smiled. Her teeth were pointed.

* * *

"Merlin," Montague breathed, terrified by what he was seeing. 

"She keeps walking toward it!" Warrington exclaimed, almost tipping the gameboard over in his eagerness to see the action. "Why does she keep walking toward it?"

"Think about it, smart one," Malfoy drawled, looking bored. "It said _beware, for things are not what they seem_. Obviously she's seeing something different than we are."

Montague gripped the edge of the board. "What in the world could she be seeing?"

* * *

The child pointed away from the path. "It's this way." Katie followed her, as if in a trance. 

_"Katie!" _Alicia screamed, her terror evident in her voice. She clasped her hands together anxiously, knowing somehow that something terrible would happen if Katie left the path.

Paying no attention to the distraught Alicia, the child said to Katie, calmly, "Take my hand." Katie stretched her hand forward.

_"DON'T!"_

The two hands met, and the child smiled triumphantly at Alicia. Katie went rigid and her eyes glossed over. She looked as if she were in excruciating pain.

"Does it hurt much?" the child whispered. Her voice was sympathetic, yet she smiled.

Katie moaned, her mind spinning in circles. She saw herself back in first year tumbling off a broom, meeting the ground with a sickening crunch; she thought of her sorrow, her heartache when her dad passed away... All the painful memories of old were coming back to haunt her.

"You think _you _know pain?" the child murmured. "Can you imagine how much worse _mine _is?"

"No, no..."

"Come and see..."

_No!_ Katie's mind screamed, yet her feet continued of their own will towards that unknown, ominous location away from the path...

A voice cried out in the depths of her mind: _Katie, please, _it begged, _break away from it. Please! Think of me, think of Hogwarts, your family! All our friends... Quidditch! Flying free, without inhibitions, total freedom... do you want to give that up?_

A horrific internal battle arose within her; Alicia's voice continued to beg persistently in her head and she wanted so desperately to listen, to be able to break away, but it was so difficult...

With a wrenching scream she broke away from the bond, pulling her hand from the fairy child's grasp, and tumbled backward onto the path.

* * *

"He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me... he loves me _not._ Bummer." 

Oliver watched as the last petal fluttered toward the ground from Angelina's fingers. "Those things never work, you know. It depends on whether or not your flower has an even or odd number of petals."

"Oh don't get all Mr. Smartypants on me," Angelina retorted, making a face.

He laughed. "Who were you thinking of, anyway?"

A slight blush appeared on her face. "No one."

"Could it involve someone with a... mischievous nature?" Oliver teased. "Red hair, perhaps? And lots and lots of freckles?"

"I haven't the foggiest clue who you're talking about," she said airily, picking another flower. "Gosh, it's ridiculous talking to you with such a big gap between us."

"It'll probably be your turn to move soon, I expect," he said, furrowing his brow in thought. "I wonder what's going on elsewhere on the board."

"Merlin only knows," Angelina replied, sighing as she looked down at her flower. "He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me..."

* * *

The child let out an earpiercing, bone-rattling shriek. In a whirl of violet and black, its delicate features melted away into hard, scaly dark skin. Enormous black, leathery wings sprouted from its sides and a long snout appeared on its face, revealing a vicious mouth with the same pointed teeth it had revealed in its previous form. The beautiful child, in effect, became a monster. 

A horror-stricken Katiestumbled backwards, trying to stand. She could hear Alicia, choking back sobs, screaming behind her.

"Your bow, Katie!_ Your bow!"_

With trembling fingers, Katie unslung the bow from her shoulder and notched an arrow to the string. The monster let out another piercing scream.

_"I want you to know my pain,"_ the monster's raspy voice echoed in Katie's mind.

Closing her eyes, praying for guidance and deliverance, Katie took aim and released the arrow.

* * *

What should he do? In which way should he turn? 

Harry bit his bottom lip, unsure of whether he should remain where he was or do _something_ at least. And say he _did _decide to do something about the situation. Where would he go?

The cliff or the sea? The sea or the cliff?

He turned from one to the other, mentally weighing the options. At least he'd decided once and for all that he wouldn't stay there. It was in his blood - that restlessness, that feeling of needing to move about and _do _something.

At last, Harry unslung the coiled rope from his shoulder. With a grunt, he heaved the heavy hook at the end toward the lowest hold on the face of the cliff.

He began to climb.

* * *

The Slytherins watched, holding their breaths, as the monster let out one last shriek and disappeared in a fog of dark purple smoke. As one, they let their breaths. 

"She's alive," Montague whispered.

* * *

Katie clutched the bow tightly, her heart palpitating like mad within her chest. "Oh my God," she whispered, over and over. 

"_Katie._"

She turned toward Alicia, who had tears in her eyes. "Alicia. I..."

"Are you all right?" Desperately, Alicia tried to approach Katie, but the gameboard's invisible force held her back.

"You saved me..." Katie whispered. "You... That's what you saw from the beginning, wasn't it? The monster?"

Alicia nodded, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Except it wasn't as big before... I didn't understand why you were following it, it was so frightening."

"I saw a child. A girl. A beautiful little girl." Katie shuddered, thinking of the child transforming into that hideous monstrosity. What horrors would she have seen if she had followed the monster to the source of its deepest pain?

"I want to get to you, but I can't..." Alicia said in despair.

Slowly, Katie sank to the ground, feeling utterly alone even though one of her best friends was so close... yet so far. She pulled her knees up to her chest. Hiding her face in her arms, she began to cry.

* * *

"This is making me nervous," Derrick said, scratching his head. "It's so dangerous... I mean, think of everything that could happen to them!" 

Silently, the others pondered the thought they'd taken so lightly before. It really was a dangerous game, so full of unpredictable outcomes. What if someone ended up...dead?

"We can't do anything about it now," Flint said gravely. He fought to hide how shaken he was.

"Very true," Malfoy agreed. He would never admit it, but even he was having doubts... _maybe_. But he couldn't end the game before he got to Potter, could he? Especially since it was his turn next.

He clutched the die in his hand and tossed it on the table. The clattering sound it made caught everyone's attention as all eyes saw...

**...2**


End file.
